Sperm Whale from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sperm-whale/
by Mary Sine The sperm whale is a member of the class Mammalia and the order Cetacea. Its family is Physeteridae and it's scientific name is Physeter macrocephalus. There are two main types of whales and they are toothed whales, or odontocete, and there are baleen whales, or mysticeti. The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale, orodontocete, in the world. The Sperm Whale was named for the spermaceti oil (wax) that is produced by the spermaceti gland on its head.
Interesting Facts
A piece of sperm whale skin with giant squid sucker scars from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/A_piece_of_sperm_whale_skin_with_Giant_Squid_sucker_scars.JPG
The Sperm Whale is named for a substance on it's head called spermaceti. Spermaceti is believed to help the whale alter its buoyancy so that it can dive and rise easily.
The Sperm Whale is the deepest diver of the whales and can dive up to depths of over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet). It can also stay submerged for over an hour long period.
The Sperm Whale also has the biggest brain on Earth.
Sperm Whales communicate using patterns of clicks called codas. They also use clicking sounds as echolocation in the water, which is how they navigate and find food.
Sperm Whales have been found with sucker scars from great squids on their heads and bodies.
Physical Appearance
The Sperm Whale has a large head that makes up about a third of the whale's entire body. It's head is squared off and blunt with a smaller, under slung jaw with large, sharp teeth. The upper jaw may have small teeth but that isn't really known.
There is a single blowhole on the head forward and slightly to the left. Unlike other whales, the Sperm Whale blows water forward rather than up.
The Sperm Whale has slightly wrinkly looking skin that is usually a dark, brownish gray with light streaks, spots and scratches. The skin around its mouth, especially at the corners, is white and the ventral, or underside, of the body is a lighter gray with some white patches maybe.
The dorsal fin on a Sperm whale is squat, and usually rounded, followed by knuckles along it's spine. It's fins are small and tapered slightly, while its flukes are broad and have been measured at up to 5 meters (16 feet) in length from tip to tip.
Adult Female Sperm Whales can grow up to about 11 meters (36 feet) in length and weigh up to 12,000-12,700 kilograms (13-14 tons). Meanwhile, adult male Sperm Whales grow to be much larger at about 15-18 meters (49-59 feet) in length and 31,750-40,800 kilograms (35-45 tons) in weight.
Feeding Sperm Whales can eat up to 907 kilograms (1 ton) of food a day. And they primarily feed on giant squid that they dive deeply to catch. They also feed on octopuses, demersal rays, demersal and mesopelagic sharks, skates, and fishes. The only natural predator that Sperm Whales are believed to have is the Killer Whale or Orca because there has been at least one documented killing of a Sperm Whale in California by a Killer Whale.
Reproduction Female Sperm Whales usually reach sexual maturity at about 9 to 10 years of age while males reach sexual maturity at about the same time but usually don't take part in breeding until their late twenties. A female Sperm Whale usually gives birth to about 7 to 10 calves in their lives. The gestation period of a Sperm Whale usually lasts 14 to 16 months and newborn calves weigh about 907 kilograms (1 ton). Newborn calves learn to swim within the first 10 seconds after its birth in order to get its first breath of air. Usually only one calf is born at a time because twins are very rare. There is probably about 3 to 4 years between calves for a female. Calves are usually weaned from their mother's milk two years after their birth even though after about a year a calf can eat solid food.
Social Structure/Migration
Sperm Whale range is in yellow; Image from http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sperm-whale/
Sperm Whales live in groups called pods that are mainly made up of females and calves. Most males live on their own most of the year and return to the pod to mate. Sperm whales usually migrate shorter distances compared to baleen whales. They are found in every ocean in the world and the males are usually found in the higher latitudes. Females and calves stay in the warmer tropical and sub-tropical waters year round, while some males come down for mating.
A Little Pop Culture and History
Sperm Whales were hunted by whalers in the past and the population was brought down because of one hunt between 1740 and 1880 and a second hunt in 1964. They were targeted for oil and ambergis, a substance that forms around squid beaks in a whale's stomach. Sperm Whales are also known for being the albino whale in the book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, that Captain Ahab was after.
Sperm Whale and Bottlenose Dolphin from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sperm_whale_and_Bottlenose_whale.JPG
by Mary Sine
The sperm whale is a member of the class Mammalia and the order Cetacea. Its family is Physeteridae and it's scientific name is Physeter macrocephalus.
There are two main types of whales and they are toothed whales, or odontocete, and there are baleen whales, or mysticeti. The Sperm Whale is the largest toothed whale, or odontocete, in the world.
The Sperm Whale was named for the spermaceti oil (wax) that is produced by the spermaceti gland on its head.
Interesting Facts
Physical Appearance
Feeding
Sperm Whales can eat up to 907 kilograms (1 ton) of food a day. And they primarily feed on giant squid that they dive deeply to catch. They also feed on octopuses, demersal rays, demersal and mesopelagic sharks, skates, and fishes.
The only natural predator that Sperm Whales are believed to have is the Killer Whale or Orca because there has been at least one documented killing of a Sperm Whale in California by a Killer Whale.
Reproduction
Female Sperm Whales usually reach sexual maturity at about 9 to 10 years of age while males reach sexual maturity at about the same time but usually don't take part in breeding until their late twenties. A female Sperm Whale usually gives birth to about 7 to 10 calves in their lives. The gestation period of a Sperm Whale usually lasts 14 to 16 months and newborn calves weigh about 907 kilograms (1 ton). Newborn calves learn to swim within the first 10 seconds after its birth in order to get its first breath of air. Usually only one calf is born at a time because twins are very rare. There is probably about 3 to 4 years between calves for a female. Calves are usually weaned from their mother's milk two years after their birth even though after about a year a calf can eat solid food.
Social Structure/Migration
Sperm Whales live in groups called pods that are mainly made up of females and calves. Most males live on their own most of the year and return to the pod to mate. Sperm whales usually migrate shorter distances compared to baleen whales. They are found in every ocean in the world and the males are usually found in the higher latitudes. Females and calves stay in the warmer tropical and sub-tropical waters year round, while some males come down for mating.
A Little Pop Culture and History
Sperm Whales were hunted by whalers in the past and the population was brought down because of one hunt between 1740 and 1880 and a second hunt in 1964. They were targeted for oil and ambergis, a substance that forms around squid beaks in a whale's stomach. Sperm Whales are also known for being the albino whale in the book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, that Captain Ahab was after.
Sources:
1.) http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/sperm-whale/
2.) http://www.whale-images.com/info/sperm-whale-facts.htm
3.) http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/spermwhale.htm
4.) http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/spermwhl.htm
5.) http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Spermwhale.shtml